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Using Passive Crossovers
A passive crossover is a circuit that uses capacitors and/or coils
and is placed on speaker leads between the amplifier and speak-
er. The crossover delegates a specific range of frequencies to the speaker
for optimum driver performance. A crossover network can perform one of
three functions: High-Pass (capacitors), Low-Pass (inductors or coils) and
Bandpass (combination of capacitor and coil).
The most commonly used passive crossover networks are 6dB/octave sys-
tems. These are easy to construct and require one component per filter.
Placing this filter in series with the circuit will reduce power to the speak-
er by 6dB/octave above or below the crossover point depending on
whether it is a high-pass or low-pass filter. More complex systems such as
12dB/octave or 18dB/octave can cause impedance problems if not profes-
sionally designed.
Passive crossovers are directly dependent upon the speaker's impedance
and component value for accuracy. When passive crossover components
are used in multiple speaker systems, the crossover's effect on the overall
impedance should be taken into consideration along with the speaker's
impedance when determining amplifier loads. CAUTION: The Power
amplifiers are not recommended for impedance loads below 2Ω stereo
and 4Ω bridged (mono) loads.
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